Hidden Ending
by Selene Moonstar
Summary: Things get out of hand during a mission, and it's up to Tigress to save Po. However, perhaps the perfect opportunity in the strangest way has occurred - to come to terms with something that was once hidden. Rated M for the following: blood, gore, and ideologically sensitive material.
1. My Hidding

It was warm, but at the same time, it was so cold.

His blood was on her back, his weight even more so, but that's not what was bothering her at the moment – if they didn't find any shelter soon, the very one she was carrying (an overgrown, large panda) would fall to his own wounds on the account of heavy blood loss.

Just a moment ago, she promised him that she wouldn't let it come to that.

Then again, that moment ago was long past her sense of time – she had been running far longer than what she could remember, much less unsure how far they were from the Jade Palace.

If it were up to her, she would be running _towards_ the Jade Palace to get her friend some help, but given the circumstances, there was no way she could run into them again without meeting up with the very bandits she was trying to get away from. In the event that she would run into them again, the distraction that the rest of the Furious Five had done would be in vain. Normally, she would not be the one to run, but at the same time, it's not like there was anyone else that had the strength to carry Po away from his death.

At least that was what she had hoped to do.

If the smell of his blood became any stronger, she would have been worried that he had lost too much. Then again, maybe the smell of his blood would confirm that since it was raining. She couldn't put him down yet to check his wounds, so only the heavens knew how much of his blood had left his body, much less how much had been washed out of his system by the rain.

She needed to look at that soon, but out of the rain so he wouldn't get a fever, much less a cold. Tigress didn't worry about herself for two reasons: one, her injuries were minor; and two, there was a weak likelihood that she would get sick because she was carrying Po on her shoulders. That meant that a great number of the cold droplets that were falling from the heavens were falling on Po instead of her. Besides, with as warm as he was, there was even less likelihood that (since she had a strong immune system) she would get sick anyway.

In strange sense, Po was protecting _her_ \- again.

It was Po's deep concern for her that got him into this predicament in the first place. Apparently the bandits thought it might be fun to try to take her out. Even if the bandits couldn't go back to their master alive, Tigress wouldn't _let_ them go back alive, especially after what they had did to Po just so long ago.

After all, he did it to protect her.

She didn't like the idea of Po feeling obligated to do so, but she understood why. Even if he didn't tell her yet, that didn't mean she didn't know. She was well aware of what he was feeling concerning her, and had come to the conclusion that she was willing to wait for him to have the courage to trust her enough with such vital information.

Tigress had been patient with Po before, now was no different – after all, that's what people do when they cared for one another. The word that best described Po's feelings for her was still a little foreign in her mouth, which was another reason why she was willing to take it so slow.

Po's feelings were her was almost as unbelievable as hearing his voice right now.

"T-Tigress…"

From the corner of her eye, she saw one of his paws move, perhaps the third time she witnessed Po do this ever since this endeavor.

"…Tigress… where…?"

"Don't worry, Po," she said gently, but loud enough for the panda to hear her in the pouring rain, "I've got you – just hang on."

Not only could she hear Po's deep breathing, she _felt_ it on her back. His heavy breathing slowly turned into something that sounded like wheezing, confirming to Tigress that she needed to now, more than ever, to get out of this rain.

If Po didn't hang on, she was going to let him have it once all of this was over.

Suddenly, her ears perked up at something that sounded like steps – steps that weren't her own. After squinting a little, Tigress realized that the light she was seeing was _not_ just a figment of her imagination. Normally, she wouldn't go straight towards a light, but after a silent prayer of hope, Tigress picked up the pace and went after it.

What she _didn't_ know was that the light was actually coming towards her, and all within good reason. As Tigress came closer to the light, she realized that this was true, and not only was the light not a figment of her imagination, but someone was holding the light.

It was a female pig, an umbrella in one hand, and a lamp in the other, keeping the lamp under the umbrella so the light won't go out. Tigress was just as surprised as she was as they recognized one another in the rain.

"O-Oh my!" the pig villager said, "M-Master Tigress!"

"We don't have much time!" Tigress said, immediately going to the point because she knew that she could trust her, "The Dragon Warrior needs help!"

"Yes, yes, of course!" she said, turning around from the same direction she came from, "Please, please, right this way."

Even if the pig wasn't as fast as she was, Tigress intentionally stayed behind her, knowing that she was the only one who knew the way that would mean Po's safety.

As she saw a cave that was illuminating with similar lights, she hoped that the rain didn't take him.

Without waiting a single second, as the cave came into view, the pig ran ahead, yelling at the top of her lungs to the other villagers that were safe inside the cave. Tigress didn't need to say anything about Po's condition because the pig did it for her – declaring that anyone who knew how that the master of the tiger style and the Dragon Warrior were here, and the Dragon Warrior needed help. Even before Tigress entered the cave with her fallen friend, some of the pigs and geese were already running around, grabbing things such as bandages and other medical supplies to aid the new guests.

As she entered, the pig who had ran ahead was out of view, and a black goose villager came to meet them.

"Master Tigress," he said, lightly bowing in respect, "Please, right this way."

Nodding, Tigress followed the goose, taking in the scenery before her, and for the record, it wasn't a pretty sight. If there was an individual who wasn't cooking or doing something remotely useful, they were laying down on the closest thing they had to beds right now, healing from an ailment – from broken legs to just being unconscious altogether.

There was one pig that was laying down on the account of a head wound and his arm was in the closest thing they had to a cast. Next to him was a female goose that was giving him a worried look, taking his hoof into her wing as a tear went down her eye.

"What happened here?" Tigress asked, turning her gaze back to the goose that was escorting her.

"Our village was attacked by bandits," the goose replied, "They must have known that we had gunpowder and went after it. We don't have much, but we'll do what we can to help you and the Dragon Warrior."

"Thank you," Tigress said, "I wish I could help you."

"Oh, Master Tigress," the goose said as they went past a few numbers of people who were laying down or aiding some of the people who were laying down, "We're just relieved that you are all in one piece – it give us hope that we'll be okay."

"Yeah…" Tigress said, looking over at Po, yet couldn't speak what was on her mind.

Within a deeper section of the cave, there was a corner that had a much larger bed with no one in it. Not too far from the bed was another goose (except white) and a male pig, those who in the same attire color as the black goose that was leading her. Due to this circumstance, Tigress believed that these three were part of the group that were the closest thing they had to doctors right now.

It was the only hope she had right now for Po.

Going down on one knee close to the bed, she leaned forward to carefully place Po down without hurting him anymore than he already was. Even the geese and the pig helped Tigress into doing this, already well aware of the smell of blood meant that he was more hurt than what they could see right now. Then again, that question was answered when they were able to get Po on his back, the doctors gasping at what they saw.

Po, for the most part, was burned in a few places (two places on his right arm, one place on his left, and one on his face that was close to his right eye), but the greatest burn was on his stomach. Adding to the fact that he had been stabbed there, it was likely the ugliest wound he had on his body. Then again, the only thing that could remotely compare to that was his broken leg, which Tigress had tried to patch up before the run. Due to the fact it leaned in one direction that looked abnormal, it was obvious that if they hadn't put it back in place soon, he would be deformed for life.

Instructing amongst themselves, the white goose and the pig went off to get supplies as Tigress kneeled next to Po, her face facing the cave wall, but looking down at Po. She wanted to help him, but more than she cared to admit, she was confused as she grabbed his paw and took it into her own paws.

The goose had observed her for a minute, yet understood the stress of the circumstance. He also knew that Po needed help now. Coming up next to her, he placed his wing on her shoulder.

"Master Tigress," he said, "We need to help him now."

She nodded.

"We have to put his leg back into place or it may not heal properly."

She nodded again.

"Will… you consider doing it?"

She turned to look at him, rather surprised that he would ask such a thing, but the goose continued.

"We'll have to wake him up, and I don't know how long he's been out, but I believe he'll recognize you immediately. If he's with someone he knows, he should be relaxed enough for the bone to be put back into place."

Breathing in deeply in alternative to gulping her fear back, she turned to look back at Po, carefully putting her right paw onto his forehead, her left hand still holding onto his paw. When she let her breath out into a sigh, she took in the fact that she was strong, perhaps too strong. Then again, it was situations like this that Shifu had taught her in the first place about controlled strength. Her accuracy had developed well by now, but she also knew how much this would hurt.

Yes, she had hurt Po in the past, but it wasn't the same thing. She would normally spare with Po to either help him improve or get something across to him – this was for something he didn't mean to do. While it was the same, it was also different, and had to accept the fact that she would be responsible for hurting him to save his life.

Almost like the same way she did when they had to defeat Lord Shen.

Still, she had to do it.

Holding back her emotions, she placed Po's paw on his chest, so it wouldn't touch his wound, and looked at the black goose.

"I'll do it."

"Tigress…?"

Without a second thought, she turned back to Po, her eyes widening over the fact that he was remotely awake. Then again, it was perhaps a good thing since that was a step she didn't have to do – to wake someone up only to hurt them was something Tigress really didn't want to do, especially if it was Po.

"Po?" she asked, putting her paw against his cheek so she could look at him, "Po, can you hear me?"

"Y-Yeah," Po winced, "I just… have a hard time feeling my leg…"

"I know," Tigress said, trying to be reassuring, "Your leg is broken and I need to put it back into place."

A flash of fear crossed his face, but Tigress kept her gaze. Po probably wasn't aware of where he was, much less anything else, so she had to be strong for him.

"Can you trust me?"

It took a while, but his cocky smile formed on his face: it was a weak one, but nonetheless cocky.

"Are you kidding me? I'd trust you with my life."

She cringed at such a statement – not from fear, but from the warmth she felt from hearing him say that.

"It's probably going to hurt like hell," Po said weakly, putting his paw over Tigress' that was on his face, "But that's okay – I trust you to do the right thing."

The glaze that was in his eyes told her that he probably wasn't going to stay awake for very long. Then again, with his trust, maybe he would be relaxed enough to put the bone back into place. Slowly, but reassuringly, Tigress moved over to his broken leg, which caused Po to fight back the darkness that was clouding his mind. When he felt her paws on his broken leg, he was reminded of what he had just said a few seconds ago, and that even with the gentlest touch, it already hurt on its own.

He wasn't completely there, but he did his best to be there, if that meant putting Tigress' mind at ease.

Slowly, she positioned herself and the bone to be put in place, thanks to the help of the black goose. The white goose and the pig had already returned with the supplies, they would be ready to patch up the leg once the bone was put back where it needed to be.

"Ready?"

Po nodded, flashing a weak, cocky smirk at her. He didn't have to be strong for her, but Tigress didn't say anything.

"1…"

He breathed in.

"2…"

He breathed out, completely relaxed.

The three didn't come – instead, a snap with heart-wrenching yell followed. The snap was an indication that the bone was back where it needed to be. However, the yell was of pure pain leaving Po's mouth, his once widened eyes from shock shutting immediately as the wave of pain hit him about as hard as Tigress felt when she heard him cry. It was hard to see, but Tigress knew that Po had cried not just verbally, but there were fresh tears leaving his eyes.

She didn't blame him for crying now – it must have hurt like heck.

As she moved to let the doctors take over his leg, she moved back up to his face, observing the salty tears and hearing the heavy pants that was coming from her dear friend. She was a little hesitant to do it, but knowing he needed reassurance, she cupped his face again, bright red meeting jaded eyes.

She was almost surprised that he was still awake after all that.

"What… about… three?" he asked.

If she were capable of feeling in her paws, she might have been able to feel how much he was shaking, but she couldn't. However, she did see it, and that was enough.

"Three," she replied, smiling a little, and hoping to lighten the mood after the painful ordeal.

Po wanted to say something, but his consciousness wouldn't allow him to, and faded back into the darkness that took him without complication. However, as much as she wanted to, Tigress decided to not disturb him this time – he was not unconscious, but asleep, and allowed herself to indulge the guilty pleasure of wiping away the tears he had produced going through such deep pain.

Gently, she laid his head back down before glancing at the doctors, with one goose looking over his leg and the other two putting herbs and remedies on his burns and wounds before patching them up. She figured that after what had just happened, it would be best if she let Po rest as they did their work.

Still, she didn't like the idea of leaving him, and hoped that the doctors wouldn't tell her to leave him.

"Master Tigress," the white goose asked, whom had just finished with Po's leg, "Are you injured?"

"Just a few scratches and burns myself," she replied, deciding that she might as well put them at ease too.

"If I may, can I tend to you? You don't have to move from his side if you don't want to unless it's absolutely necessary."

Thank the heavens.

"Thank you."

While the goose looked her over, she returned her gaze back to Po, knowing all too well that she might have been in a worse condition if he had not been on her back.

If only there was some way to show him her gratitude, but for now, she was very grateful, perhaps one of the most thankful creatures on the plane of existence.

After all, he had trusted her with his life, and if it were her, the feelings would be mutual.


	2. Our Ending

It was said that when you died, you would see a white light.

The problem for Po was that he saw the white light _before_ all of this mess happened. He felt that his eyes were open, but he couldn't see anything. It could have been dark or just the fact his consciousness was finally coming back to him.

There was only so much that he remembered, such as the explosion because the bandit couldn't bear going back to his master empty-handed, the pain that swelled him when the idiot thought he could blow himself up and take the Dragon Warrior with him. Aside from the battle itself, there was only one thing he remembered, and that was the worried face of Tigress as he was fighting to get back into the fight.

The stab did quite the number, the flames not as much – all it really did was only accumulate the pain that was there before it. Everything else was black with a mix of orange, and the only thing that seemed remotely clear was the distinct sunset eyes that belonged to Tigress.

As much as he wanted to listen to Tigress when she told him to hang on, he was doing anything _but_ what she was asking him to do. Well, it was more along the lines of pleading, and the fact the master of the tiger style never pleads, it made him feel worse whenever he was failing.

The only comfort he had from this situation was that the explosion was just far enough from everyone else to where it wouldn't hurt them. After all, trying to use a rocket required some distance.

If Po had not destroyed the thing, maybe it would've been worse. Heck, maybe Tigress would be in the same situation he was in now, and it would be _him_ asking _her_. Screw the idea of it being a potential romantic story – he'd rather take the pain himself then let Tigress suffer any day.

Strange, his thoughts about Tigress lead him to think about a distant memory that gave him a warm feeling inside.

 _"Po, are you sure that you're okay with parting with that thing?"_

 _"Are you kidding me? It-"_

 _"There's nothing to be ashamed of – you were a fan before you became a friend."_

 _He gave her a rather surprised look: impressed that she took it so well, and even more surprised that she was hinting that she had been okay with his previous obsession._

 _"…Well, okay," Po admitted, "It was mine, but I'm totally okay with her having it now."_

 _Tigress caught from the side of her eye that he was flashing one of his signature cocky grins._

 _"Besides, there's no reason to be jealous, Tigress – I'm pretty sure that she would prefer the real you over the action figure any day."_

 _She shook her head: apparently, Po didn't understand what she meant, but at least it was clear he was okay with it. Nonetheless, that didn't stop the master of the tiger style using her own sharp tongue on him._

 _"You mean like you?"_

 _"Yes! Exactly!…Wait, what?"_

 _Allowing herself to smile, she slowly strolled away from Po, leaving him rather bewildered about her statement. She also knew that the panda wouldn't give up without a fight, and that's exactly what she was counting on. After all, that's what made him so much fun to be around when he started going after her._

 _"Come on, Tigress, what are you saying? Tigress! Tigress!"_

He then started to realize that he had become _too_ warm… or maybe warm enough?  
Had he been dying and just not realizing it?

"Po! Po!"

For the first time in immediate memory, he realized that he was not only _feeling_ his heart beat, but he could _hear_ it too.

Had he overstepped his boundaries by thinking about her?  
Had the memory of Tigress lead him to the light that everyone claims they see?  
No, especially not right now – he didn't want to die.

Mentally preparing himself for it, he was willing to enter the pain that had slowly crept up on him until this point. He had fought for his friends countless times before – now wouldn't, and wasn't, any different. That's why they were warriors, not quitters.

After all, if he could do anything right on the first go, he wanted to listen to Tigress' voice and return to her. From the way she was calling out to him, and something that felt like pressure on his chest, he didn't want to disappoint her, much less give her more grief than she needed.

Then it came – the indescribable pain that he went through. He was surprised that he was even able to get through it in the first place. In fact, the pain had become almost so unbearable, he was close to forgetting what it felt like.

After that was a light – two sets of bright yellow eyes looking down at him, but still a light.

As he started to feel his chest rise up and down, he wanted to make sure that he was actually in the right place this time.

"T… Tigress?"

She seemed surprised, at least from what he could tell with as dark as everything was, but she nodded.

From what he was able to gather, it was really dark, at least too dark to be daytime. However, he immediately jumped into the conclusion that they were in some kind of cave, since it was a little warm and could smell dirt.

What he didn't know, and probably something Tigress would refuse to tell him right now, was the fact that Po had stopped breathing some time ago – the whole reason why she had called out his name in the first place.

"Where are we?" he decided to ask anyway, in case his sense were out of whack.

"We're in a cave," she replied.

So he wasn't crazy – good.

However, perhaps he was just crazy enough, for as the memories of the fight continue to rush back to him, he did what he could to get up and see where the others were, or at least reassure himself that they were alright.

If Tigress had not stopped him, the pain did.

Forgetting for a split second that he had been burned and stabbed, his body reminded of his condition by sending waves of pain throughout his body, reminding him that he still needed to be gentle with it. Without holding back, Po practically gave another blood-curling yell, at least as much as he could since a bit of his voice was gone.

He didn't need to lay back down though – Tigress had _forced_ him back down.

"Stay down!" Tigress said rather crossly, her tone mixed with something that sounded as if she had been insulted.

Po _would've_ responded back, but he couldn't – if it wasn't the panting that suddenly took over his throat, it was the weakness that took full effect in his body.

Looking at Po to make sure he was still intact, Tigress sighed, figuring to give Po points for being stubborn, but more points towards his ignorance. As he collected himself, the female tiger shook her head, pushing down her worry and other emotions right now, only allowing herself to express how she was really feeling through the gentle touch of her forehead against his own.

He was almost hesitant to ask why, but the thought occurred to him - she couldn't feel anything in her paws.

"It hasn't broken yet," Tigress said rather plainly: a hint of concern, but still plainly before grabbing the blanket that had been covering Po and moved it a little so it would cover him up to his shoulders again.

At the thought of breaking things, Po started to remember that his leg was broken, but since it wasn't his leg that Tigress touched, but rather his forehead, he realized that maybe he had more than just broken bones. Since he had felt so cold earlier, he guessed that he probably had a fever or a cold. After all, his face was impeccably warm, and not just from the fact that Tigress was so close to him.

Then again, he felt kind of clammy, so it could very well be a cold.

With Po lost in his thoughts, Tigress turned away for a minute, the light sounds of clanking indicating that she was getting something. Po turned his head a little when it reached his ears, taking note that she had a bowl in her paws. Since it wasn't steaming, it was likely anything but soup. If anything, it might have just been water, and that was good enough.

He did feel a little dry in the throat, after all.

Due to the fact that Tigress wasn't aware of Po knowing what she was doing, it justified why she was so slow to go about it in the first place. She wanted to let him know what she was about to do, least she startle the poor panda and not help him get back to health. As gently as she knew how, she used one paw to lift his head, and carefully brought the bowl to his mouth, only tipping a little bit of the contents into his mouth when it was open.

Po was right, it _was_ water. True, it wasn't _cold_ water, but at this point, he didn't care – it was water. Since it was warm, he figured that it must have lost its steam in relatively recent time. In fact, he was so focused on accepting the warm water into his body and silently relish in it, he was oblivious to Tigress' reaction from all of this. As much as he didn't want to, his mind was one-tracked at the moment, and was not aware of the pain that was in her eyes until after he regained some of his voice.

She didn't want to tell him (much less need to) that the water had been boiled a long time ago – it was a form of purifying the water until help arrived. Tigress didn't want to think about the fact that they had ran out of water sometime back, and had put pots and pans outside to collect the water to be purified.

He didn't say anything for a moment, but after being able to pull enough of himself together to where he could tell that Tigress was in pain, a weak, sheepish smile crossed his face.

"I guess I can't get up for a while, huh?"

From that remark, Tigress started to ponder how much her friend actually remembered, and decided this time that she needed to know. Within a few split seconds, she turned from worry to curious concern.

"What do you remember?" she asked.

Po needed a minute to think, but since he had just woke up, it was only sensible to give him time to think about it.

"Well," Po said thoughtfully, "I don't remember much, if anything – just a lot of fire. We were fighting bandits that had gunpowder, right?"

Yeah… the gunpowder.  
From what Tigress concluded, they had long lost the gunpowder _because_ of that explosion. However, more than what Tigress cared to admit, there was something far more important that she nearly lost. More than what she told anyone else in the whole world, Tigress knew that she had almost lost some _one_ important to her.

This sort of thing was inevitable for Kung-Fu masters, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt.

All she could do was nod at Po, not able to trust her mouth at the moment.

"The guy tried to use that rocket," Po recalled, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone, "I knew the bandits were crazy, but not _that_ crazy."

Po had done some crazier things in his rather short lifetime, but Tigress remained silent about that remark, knowing what Po had really meant when he said that the bandits were crazy. In all truth, he wasn't wrong: the strength of the flames would have been able to take out some of the bamboo forest. If it had not rained a short time afterward, she guessed that the flames would have consumed the bamboo at a faster rate.

For the safety of others, and even her own, it was a good thing that the gunpowder was a good distance away. However… for Po's…

"Tigress?"

She turned to look at him again, a little confused about what was going through the panda's head.

By now, Po was far more careful to sitting up this time, and was able to successfully do so without hurting himself in the same degree he did before.

There was one thing that was different this time aside from less pain – it was the paws that were on Tigress' cheeks. Sure, she was well aware that she had shed a few tears just a few seconds ago, and would've wiped them away herself, but the very fact that _he_ was doing it _for_ her sent a shrill throughout her body that was foreign yet familiar at the same time.

It was foreign in the sense of its rarity, since it wasn't often that she felt this way. However, it was familiar in its own sense because it not only occurred during rare occasions, but every time included Po. As she looked into his jaded eyes (both green and tired), she started to remember other things that had happened to them up to this point.

They had met under rather strange circumstances – quite literally, falling out of the sky. They stuck together even as far as taking on Lord Shen. Perhaps she didn't have the strength at the time to help Po take out the battleships, but she knew that Po looked at her as his treasured support. It was this same belief (and the value of their friendship) that encouraged her to keep going and warn Po of Kai. Even when he was losing his head against the dummy, she was there to support him and try to keep his head clear.

Thus far, Po had showed her how to be a _friend_. Why it is that after so long that word didn't match the situation anymore? She was happy being his friend, really she was, but it wasn't until now that she started thinking about the foreign greed she carried for Po.

Viper kept telling her that that what she was feeling was called a _crush_. Sure, there were times where Tigress did want to crush Po (because he annoyed her, or something of that nature), but the only other word that she could think of that would be more appropriate for the situation was love.

"Sorry," Po said, "I… don't like seeing you cry."

She swallowed a little, but didn't unlock her focus on Po.

"Trust me, I'll be fine in no time," Po encouraged with a smile, "And once I'm all better you can kick my butt for worrying you."

Typical Po… typical Po to try to shift the blame on himself.

They were a _team_ \- they _all_ were to blame, even though Tigress ironically put most of the blame on herself.

She wanted to be there for Po because she supported him. After Tai-Lung, she had always supported him. Up until now, that had been enough, so what was it about right now that didn't make it enough?

Perhaps Viper might have been right about her feelings – she just didn't know how to go about her feelings, aside from the sparring practice she had with the panda.

Then again, neither did Po.

While he was thinking the same basic thing, he took another road to get there, and that was down the lane of his own memories. His paws were still on her cheeks, but as he was returning her gaze and when she was lost in her own thoughts, Po remembered just how far they had come together.

Yes, it took some proof that he was worth her time, but he started to ask himself what he meant to Tigress. For him, he was a fan, and still was a fan from time to time, but it wasn't until later how he had come to the conclusion that they were friends.

Then again, friends didn't touch each other like this, so why was Tigress allowing him to do so?

Po prayed to himself that what he wanted to do next wasn't his worst screw-up. If what he was about to do was wrong, he hoped that Tigress would punch him or something - _anything_ to stop him from being lost in the affection she had for her.

Jade gazed into his sunset, and the sunset was looking back – green to red and red to green. They were such opposing colors, yet together making something beautiful. It was strange thinking about it that way, but Po came to the conclusion that he and Tigress were a lot like Yin and Yang – different, yet the same; together, yet such polar opposites; living individually, but unable to exist without each other.

However, Yin and Yang were intertwined and had an aspect of the other in them. Maybe that had that too? After all, Po would have never been able to become tough if it wasn't for Tigress and Tigress would have never become even remotely soft if it had not been for him.

He wanted to lean in and express to Tigress right then and there how much she meant to him, but wasn't sure if he should go for it. Po really wanted to, but once he did it, there was no going back – that's why he wanted her to punch or _something_ if he was doing something wrong.

Then again, she wasn't doing anything – that meant that either she was just as lost as he was or was agreeing to his silent proposition.

Yes, he wanted to do it, but he pushed his desires back down his heart. He felt that he needed to do something first before he went about with his emotions – not just because this was Tigress, his most treasured support, but because this was his _friend_ , his _best friend_.

It was this same friend that he knew that he had come to fall in love with. That was the whole reason why he needed to ask her first before he did something drastic.

"Tigress…?"

"…Yes, Po?"

She knew he was being really serious about this – good. If it wasn't hidden so well in his fur, then Tigress would have been able to tell that the poor boy was blushing, and blushing like mad.

"I know that… what I'm about to ask isn't necessarily appropriate amongst friends…"

Tigress saw him swallow, waiting for Po to continue.

"…B-But…"

"'But'…?" Tigress asked after he pulled out the silence a lot longer than he anticipated.

No, it was the right thing to _ask_ her first!

"…If it's alright with you… and you're free to punch me if you're mad at me for asking this… but I was wondering if… I could… you know… kiss you?"

Her eyes lightened – if it be in realization or just surprise, Po wasn't sure, but he was more than willing to explain himself.

"I know, it's weird… and maybe this is a _really_ bad time to bring this up… but the truth of the matter is… well… I like you Tigress… and I don't mean in the fan-boy way, or like a friend: I mean _like_ like you…"

For a moment, she was thinking, but upon recalling something else Viper had said (especially about the term "'like' like" concerning someone's affections since they were both together and overheard a young couple of bunnies, with the male trying to be romantic at his confession at Mr. Ping's. Even if Viper had never told her what it had meant, then she probably would've been able to figure it out anyway, especially when it came to Po.

They had learned to read each other, especially for situations of stress. Po would normally apply stress to things that meant a lot to him, since as a general whole, he was a pretty laid back guy. It was his caring nature that later rubbed off on Tigress, but not without first receiving some of her hardcore nature in return. They always seemed to be exchanging things, even if it's just each other's time.

Perhaps it was the effort of each other putting themselves into each other that made them feel this way – it just never became verbal until now.

Then again, it was just Po being verbal, not Tigress, for it wasn't like Tigress to be verbal, at least not as much as Po. It was the silent respect they had for one another that made their relationship cryptically powerful. No one could really explain it because there were no words to explain it – it was just there, and it was only shared between a panda and a tigress in a way that was mysterious and beautiful.

"…Back there, I almost thought that I was about to die," Po confessed sheepishly, "I know you wouldn't let me, even if I wanted to, or you would beat the heck out of me when you met me on the other side, but while I was lost from here, something clicked, and I realized just how vulnerable I really am… in this life… and towards you."

She sympathized with him many times about what it was like to be vulnerable. Tigress never told anyone, and perhaps only a few came remotely close to understanding how she felt, but she knew what Po meant when it came to being in a state of weakness.

Concerning Po, it was the time she was the so close to the canon, yet not close enough to save him from being shot.

The second time was when she _did_ stand in the way for Po, only to fracture her ribs and failed to encourage him when she tried to smile in reassurance. Po was concerned for her, and even tried to hold her paw for her encouragement, but the lack of reassurance to him in return was a memory of vulnerability.

The third time involved her actually being useful. She wanted to go after to Po and prevent him from performing the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself to take out Kai, but she was able to help him on the other side by remembering what Po did for her that was the most important to her: how to be a friend.

Now this same panda, who showed her the meaning of friendship, was so deep in belief that he was in love with her, that he was willing to stoop himself below his honor to ask for a kiss. From the way Po was going about this, it wasn't in just respect to her, but if he were to get a kiss from the one he was in love with, it was so that he could tell her in the deepest way possible before something like this happened but with a different result.

Closing her eyes, she allowed herself a minute to laugh a little, and it confused Po for a minute. Exactly why he was doubting himself was beyond Tigress. After the battle with Lord Shen, Tigress began to doubt that there would be very little chance for Po to leave this world before his time. Yes, it scared her to see Po like this time and time again, more than what she cared to admit, but at least he always came back.

Was he scared that his expression of love would ruin his karma?  
Last time she checked, Po had the worst karma, yet he was still intact – perhaps he was just lucky.

Some people would probably consider himself extremely lucky if it had been made known how _she_ felt about Po's confession. Then again, she believed that the only person who _needed_ to know was Po. After all, he just told her that he was in love with her.

Maybe she didn't know what love completely meant, but that didn't mean it wasn't worth trying – after all, there were very few individuals in this word that were as close to her as Po was. Heck, perhaps Po was the closest individual to her heart.

Po just didn't know that yet, or he wouldn't be hesitating like he was right now. Still, Po probably didn't know how charming it was to ask for a kiss – so gentlemen-like and so respectful to his beloved lady.

Yes, she thought to herself about the idea of becoming his – she realized that she was actually fond of it.

Unsure if Po was aware that he was leaning in, Tigress didn't argue, because she was leaning in a little as well. Either he was still hazy in the head, his patience becoming more and more thing in waiting for an answer (and accepting her silence as approval), or just that lost in his feelings that he was oblivious of what he was doing. Still, even if he didn't give her permission, if she was against his advancement towards her, she probably would've punched him.

For the first time in her life, she followed Po in listening to her heart instead of her head, both leaning into the other before both the red pair and the jade pair of eyes came to a close, their lips closing as well as they locked onto one another in a gentle kiss.

Long before Po had asked about receiving this kiss, the tigress and the panda had become oblivious to the world around them, the fact they were at the very deepest end of the cave, and that the two geese and the pig doctor that had been attending them witnessed the whole thing. The pig doctor was in agape, and so much in the jaw drop that his black goose companion had to move his mouth back into place with his wing. The first of the trio to shake out of the trance was the white goose, who had silently motioned to the other two doctors to give the couple some privacy, which they finally got the clue when the goose turned them around to go the other way.

No one was aware that the trio had seen such things, especially the couple. Po and Tigress were only focused on one another, even after their lips had parted from one another, shifting from kissing to a gentle gaze into the eyes of the other.

"Was it okay for me to do that?"

Damn, he _was_ serious about all of this, and in some respects, it was funny, so she couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Of course it was okay," Tigress replied, keeping her paws on his shoulders, "Besides, I don't mind sharing my first with you."

She _heard_ him swallow at that remark. Tigress knew that he was cute in some respects, but she had no idea he could become _this_ cute for trying to be respectful of her boundaries.

"Your… f-first?"

Tigress wanted to laugh again, but she understood how serious Po was taking in the idea that Tigress had just given her first kiss to him, so she remained serious for his sake.

"Yes, Po, my first."

"Oh man, I hope I didn't… smell or anything."

How cute he was when he was being serious!

"I can check again, if you want."

Yes, the mighty Master Tigress was _flirting_ , or at least that's what she thought was flirting from what she had seen and understood from many girls before and after her lifetime, and it as adorable how Po seemed to be squirming a little at this new display of affection.

"Are you sure?" Po asked, "Because, I don't want to go for it and make you uncomforta-"

He didn't need to – she already kissed him again, and left him rather speechless when she pulled away to look at him.

"You seem fine to me," Tigress remarked, a rather cocky grin on her face.

Po smiled back this time, coming to terms to what Tigress was trying to get through to him without saying anything. He would have made his blush obvious if it had not been for the fur, but since his smile came back, it made Tigress happy.

"So…" Po asked, "Do you want to have dinner together at my dad's shop? When this is all over, I mean… he's working on tofu that I think you might like."

He didn't need to make any excuse to want to be with her, just the two of them, unless it was the excuse that he wanted to see her, just the two of them.

Since she practically gave him permission to kiss her, it made sense to take this next step. Tigress was compelled to tell him later that this would be her first date too.

"Like a date?" she asked him, slightly hinting at teasing him.

"Well, it _can_ be a date," Po remarked.

Adorable.

"I'd be honored to," Tigress said, "And not just because of the tofu."

This time, the full force of their feelings were expressed: both Po and Tigress were smiling at each other, except her paws slowly went from just on his shoulders to around his neck as she leaned back close to him for another kiss. Po understood her advancements and met her in the middle again, only this time he was more comfortable about showing affection since Tigress seemed to agree with his feelings _and_ felt the same way. Without hesitation, he carefully wrapped his bandaged arms around her waist and met her lips in the kiss she silently asked for.

A certain number of things had ended that night.

First off, it was the fact that Po was going to be alright. Like a rainbow after a storm, so was Po fighting off his injuries trying to lead him to death. Sure, he had been in conditions like this in the past, but if it had not been for Tigress sticking by his slide almost as much as sticky dumplings, he wasn't sure if he would be here. He would have to ask her later about what had happened when he was out.

Second, the doubt that Po had in expressing his feelings for Tigress were no longer in effect because he had told her how he felt. From the way things were going, not only did Tigress understand what his feelings meant to him and towards her, but she had come to feel the same way, or was willing to give his feelings a try, to see where it would lead them beyond their boundary of friendship.

Finally, the only thing that they could think of that would end was not only the night itself, but the ordeal that was a part of it. They knew in their hearts that the other Furious Five would be fine, go back to the Jade Palace, report to Master Shifu, and come back to help them and the villagers restore what had been lost. Exactly if Po would be healed by then would be a bridge to cross once they reached that point in time.

For today, and for tonight, for right now, it was just them in this hidden ending that only they knew about, with a beginning that would change their worlds.

 **The End**


End file.
